


In The Studio

by Pearl_Jam



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Angst, Cheesy au, F/F, Not all characters listed are in it yet, Rose's death mention, Ships listed in opening note, Will tag ships as they appear, cancer mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:40:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9669194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearl_Jam/pseuds/Pearl_Jam
Summary: Welcome to Fusion, a dance studio offering classes in hip hop, modern dance, ballet, swing and break dancing. All classes are available to all ages. Formerly one of the top ballet studios in the country, Fusion has grown to serve as a cultural hub that represents Beach City's culture of love, community and self expression. Owned by former Empire City Ballet star Pearl Hall and acclaimed choreographer Garnet Swaray, classes offer a friendly environment that are designed to be fun, challenging and rewarding. If you would like to view an example of a classes finished routine, find us on our Tubetube channel FusionDance.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I think about this AU constantly and it has gone on for too long. I need to write it out. This is going to be the cheesiest shit so hold on to your butts. If you are worried about pacing, don't. I'm gonna do time skips to get to the cheesiness. 
> 
> A word of warning: This fic will likely include Pearl/Amethyst, Jasper/Peridot, Ruby/Sapphire, very light Steven/Connie. It will also include Garnet being the best friend to everyone and maybe smooching a couple of em, but she's not going to end up with any one person. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fic. It's going to revolve around Pearl learning to dance things other than ballet, cutesyness and probably some smoochin. Definitely some smoochin. Comments are always appreciated~ Also check out my other fics if you want smut.

How a place called Beach City could have such bitterly cold falls and winters, Pearl would never know. She would never be bothered enough to research why it weather insisted on being so bitterly cold at seven in the morning, but she would complain quietly inside her beanie covered head regardless. Other than walk at her brisk pace, the only activity she could occupy herself with was to complain to herself. Her arms held her stomach in and her bouncing steps loosened the scarf wrapped around the entire lower half of her face, causing it to fall to her neck.

“Almost there. Almost there,” she assured herself. Arriving at the studio, she fished her keys from her pocket and lodged them into the lock, turning them and swinging open the door. She entered the darkened studio, her breath catching as the temperature proved colder inside than out. She made a beeline for the thermostat in the office hidden deep within the back of the studio, rushing to turn the heater on. “You’ve got to be kidding me!,” she complained in her most annoyed of tones, her legs never seeming to stop shaking as she tried to ward off the cold.

The office surrounded her was more of a storage room than anything; boxes upon boxes of forgotten papers, trophies, letters, personal effects and miscellaneous junk. After throwing down all of her accessories and outerwear into the chair as was her custom, she ran her fingers through her messy hair and sighed. Electing to ignore the cold for now, she jogged her way out of the office and rubbed up and down her arms at a rapid pace. She circled throughout every room in the studio, flicking on each and every switch in her path until it lit up to show of the modern renovations Pearl still couldn't get used to. The once comforting white and baby pink walls were now an industrial grey marked with a violet logo Garnet had designed. The wooden floors replaced with a smooth grey vinyl that while very easy to clean, seemed so cold in Pearl’s eyes. This was not the studio where she grew up anymore.

She stopped herself in the center of the studio. “Stretch up to the stars… And down to your toes,” Pearl mumbled to herself as she shut her eyes, falling back into her old warm-up routine. She thought back to her much more demanding life in Empire City. She certainly didn’t mind the heavy workload, rather she seemed to thrive on it. She could memorize as many shows as she would be needed in, and could give it her all each and every night. She would blush as hard as she could on opening night’s, bowing gracefully alongside her peers as she received praise from the audience and payment from her manager. She was truly a star on those nights. A star with a family of other stars she would be proud to stand beside. But now she was here, alone, teaching some kids the basics and having to share ownership of a studio she didn’t think she’d ever return to.

The studio began to finally thaw. Pearl turned to stare into her own eyes as she faced the one-mirrored wall and stretched side to side. She stretched side to side before throwing her foot up onto the balance bar on the side wall, moving into her deeper stretches and warming up her muscles. Following her stretches, she shed herself of her outer layer of warm-up clothes, leaving her in the skin-tight exercise pants and a loose long-sleeve crop top. She looked to be in top form, at least for a young adult's ballet class.

A deep sultry tone cut through the slowly warming air of the studio. “Good morning, Pearl.” Pearl jolted a little, head rising and turning to face her ‘new’ partner. Garnet stood with a drink carrier holding two coffee cups in one hand, a brown paper bag sandwiched between them.

“Good morning, Garnet,” Pearl returned, evening out her tone so as to avoid sounding antagonistic.

“Coffee. Bagel,” Garnet spoke, coming to stand inches from Pearl in a matter of moments.  
Standing up straight, Pearl could only make it to about collar level on the other woman. Before being able to speak her protest to the offer, Garnet’s spare hand grabbed her shoulder.

“I- Garnet, please-”

“Drink the coffee, Pearl. Steven said this is how you like it.” She extended the holder to her. “The bagel was my idea. You need to eat more.” Garnet’s body and voice radiated a warmth that gave Pearl goose bumps over her entire body.

Pearl’s slender fingers wrapped around and took the closest cup, the warmth giving them a slight tingle. She fought off a small pout with her lips as she reached for the bag as well, Garnet tugging it away and slowly sitting onto the floor. Her enormous legs spread out in a wide V, the bag being placed in the center along with her own coffee. Garnet asked “will you sit with me?,” as if Pearl had a choice at this point.

“Am I about to get a ‘talking to’? Your tone makes it sound as much.” Pearl sat with both of her feet away from Garnet in the most demure pose imaginable. Both her hands held the cup as she took a slow sip of the perfectly heated coffee. She scanned the other woman toe to tip, her eyes dancing over the ever present sunglasses the woman wore. Pearl had learned of Garnet's photophobia early on, but it was still unsettling to have only seen the woman's eyes once or twice in their time together over the past few months.

“You have got to stop that. I’m trying to be your friend, Pearl,” Garnet explained, laying out the napkins and pulling out the bagels before slowly moving her gaze to Pearl’s face. The pale ballerina’s lip curled inwards in an attempt to calm down before she spoke, thought it only gave off an expression of disgust and anger.

“You... really don't understand, do you? Do you want me to explain it to you?”

Garnet's expression did not move in the slightest, she only stared. Any reaction at all would make it worse, but being a statue didn't seem to calm Pearl down much . “I-I threw away my life to come back here. I threw away… Everything, to come back and save this place. Greg called me, and said Rose left the studio to me, Ms. Swaray.”

Pearl pulled her legs underneath her to sit on her ankles, her coffee set in front of her as she grabbed her own thighs. “You… You... I-I can’t even think clearly when you stare at me like that!” Garnet's head fell slightly, trying to let Pearl work out whatever she needed to before speaking again. “I thought I came fast enough. I thought I was doing the right thing for her!” Pearl choked up slightly, having to swallow before being able to continue. “I had to finish the season in Empire City if I ever wanted to get another role there, but… I would have been willing to throw that all away for Rose’s sake!” She was growing louder and louder, standing on her feet before she knew it. “A-And then… And then… She’s gone. She’s just... Gone.”

Pearl’s hands threw into the air before falling limp at her sides. She stood up to pace over to the wall and back, obviously trying not to break into tears. She opened her mouth, sucking in air as she choked up again and just began to yell through her tears. “Greg lied to me! Rose lied to me! I could have come back to see her! I could have seen her just one last… Fucking… Time…”

Garnet rose up rather quickly, her arms wrapping around Pearl and pulling her in close just as Pearl's fingers started scratching into her own scalp. For the second time since she arrived, Pearl cried truly painful tears of regret, shame and agony.

The larger woman began to speak, a tremble in her voice across each and every word. “Pearl… I didn’t know Rose when you did.” She paused to let Pearl release another small wail. “Rose wanted you to remember her from your time together… Not the ugly end. I-I’m sorry.” Garnet’s voice hardly ever had much alteration in tone or cadence, so hearing her genuinely grieve was startling to Pearl, even in her destroyed state.

“I-I should have gotten a say in that, damn it! I was with her first!” Pearl held onto Garnet’s jacket with both hands, her legs feeling all too weak to be the only thing keeping her up. Garnet’s arms squeezed her a bit tighter to reassure that she had support there, too.

Pearl pulled herself together after a while, consuming the bagel with the little cream cheese packets it came with and nursing her warm coffee. The lingering anxiety between them seemed to fade a bit as they drank and ate, Pearl complimenting Garnet's fashionable attire and Garnet returning the favor. As Pearl took her second to last bite of her bagel, Garnet removed her jacket and rolled her shoulders back and rubbed at her neck.

  
"We've got some time to kill before your class arrives. Let's work on the office, Pearl."

With a long sigh, Pearl replied. "Alright. It is a nightmare in there... Sorry for putting it off."

Garnet did not reply, only leading the way into the place before beginning to go through the boxes. The contents varied from old flyers for the studio in its previous name, old files concerning initial renovations of the building and receipts galore. After about an hour had passed, most of the boxes being lined up in the hallway to be stored or gone through later, Pearl stumbled upon something that gave her pause.

"Pearl. Pearl!" Garnet called, seeing the thin woman freeze in place with a bent box lid clutched to her chest.

As Garnet approached Pearl was reaching in and pulling out one of many pairs of child sized ballet slippers. Each and every one was worn down and dirty, the pink color faded and the toes now a very blunt and darkened surface. Her fingers dug through them with care, pulling up pair after pair be fore settling on some she was sure were her own. Pearl sniffed down her sadness and instead smiled as Garnet looked down over her shoulder.

"These were..?" Garnet said.

"Mine," Pearl finished, her finger reaching up and wiping out the small tears that had formed. "When you dance en pointe your toes get calloused and want to fuse together. I remember taking my shoes off one day and just crying like a baby when I pulled my feet out." She slowly put the lid down overtop of the box, taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh.

"How old were you?" Garnet asked as she stepped over to the desk to finish cleaning it off.

"Oh probably around ten or so. Rose helped me bandage them up and the next day I was right back at it." She sounded both proud and a little cocky as she lifted the shoes and put this box into the corner. "I wanted it so darn badly. I wanted to be the best and I wanted to feel proud of myself."

Garnet rested a hand on her hip and stared over at Pearl as she fidgetted with her hands a bit. A bit of colour had formed on her pale cheeks and a smile Garnet hadn't ever seen was on her face.

"Rose was proud of you." Garnet suddenly spoke, her gaze still hidden behind those damn glasses as Pearl looked over to her. "She talked about you with me when I first met her. You were the White Swan, Juliet... You did make it, Pearl."

"I didn't know you kept up with my repertoire." Pearl spoke with a hand on her chest, obviously enjoying having her ego stroked. She raised her chin a bit and coughed as the awkward silence ate away at them both. "I know you are quite successful yourself. I won't pretend to have much knowledge of your work but I am aware it is an impressive portfolio." She crossed her arms, feeling just about as snooty as one could. She knew next to nothing about Garnet's career.

Garnet nodded with a small smile, pulling herself up onto the desk to sit and crossed her legs, her gaze staring down to the floor. She seemed to appreciate the sentiment at least.

"And now we're both here teaching a bunch of children and teens... Seems like a waste in a way." Pearl spoke, moving to sit up with her.

"I have a feeling we're going to be doing something good here once summer comes." Garnet spoke, glancing towards the smaller ballerina next to her.

"What makes you say that?" Pearl asked.

"I can see... into the future." Garnet dramatically swiped her hand through the air, a small little laugh being forced from Pearl's mouth.

"Yes, well, I hope the future is prosperous for us both. I do want this studio to succeed even if it isn't Rose's anymore."

"She's still here, Pearl. She's in you, in Steven, in me, and she'll always be a part of this whole city. " A large arm suddenly brought Pearl in for a side hug, her delicate fingers landing on Garnet's thigh as she was cradled underneath her bicep.

"Yes, right. Uhm... Thank you, Garnet." she spoke, hesitantly bringing an arm to Garnet's lower back and giving an awkward pat.

After another hour of idle conversation, it was time for Pearl's ballet class.


End file.
